The
Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) Impact Factor has increased for a fourth consecutive year, as reported by Thomson Reuters in its 2008
Journal Citation Report. Furthermore, the publication has made several changes to its publication procedures to better serve its readers.
Impact Factor Increases to 17.157
The impact factor represents a mean of the number of papers published during two years, divided by the total number of citations in the following year, according to JCO Editor in Chief Daniel G. Haller, MD. In 2008, JCO articles were cited a total of 97,639 times—a 20% increase over the previous year, according to the report. The rise in the impact factor of nearly 50% since 2005 is a reflection of the value researchers find in JCO content.
“JCO is fortunate to receive thousands of submissions from highly qualified authors each year and to have outstanding Editors, Editorial Board members, and peer reviewers who help select the best articles for publication,” Dr. Haller said in a statement.
By impact factor, the publication ranks:
- Fourth of 144 oncology journals tracked worldwide
- Forty-first among all scientific journals surveyed, putting it in the top 1% of all science, technology, and medical publications
- Second in number of citations among oncology journals, and 25th among all 6,598 scientific journals monitored
Former Print Columns Re-launched as Exclusive Online Content
To better accommodate the publication’s growing number of submissions and to meet the needs of a broader readership, two article types have moved online: Diagnosis in Oncology and Correspondence.
The Diagnosis in Oncology section consists of oncology-specific case reports, and the Correspondence section consists of Letters to the Editor, responses from authors, and short, freestanding pieces.
With JCO editors currently accepting fewer than 20% of all manuscripts for publication, “We felt that [these] sections could be well served by being placed online only, where there are fewer space constraints,” Dr. Haller said. “Having space available in the print version will allow for the potential of placing more high-quality original articles, both online and in print,” he added.
Dr. Haller attributes the increase in the number of JCO submissions during the past few years to the
Journal’s reputation and broad international readership.
Placing content exclusively online, however, does not diminish the credibility or importance of the content. In fact, the JCO website (jco.ascopubs.org) serves as the initial repository where readers can access newly published material. To get new content out to readers in the timeliest manner, the online publication date—not the print publication date—is the official publication date of record.
“There are many measures of journalistic success [for the
Journal] including meeting readership needs by measures of online usage and surveys, and by keeping abreast of trends in medical journalism,” Dr. Haller said.
The relocation of these sections is an example of such successes, as these changes improve the overall publication and achieve its mission of disseminating significant clinical oncology research in both print and electronic formats.
Readers can identify exclusive online materials by the “Online Only” logo that accompanies article titles within the JCO Table of Contents.
New Manuscript Guidelines for Phase III Trials
Another change for JCO requires authors to submit a redaction of the protocol for all phase III studies, including the eligibility criteria, schema and dose modifications, and statistical section (including endpoints).
Prior to this modification, “Many reviewers and the editors felt they could not judge a manuscript adequately from the limited information available in the manuscript, especially in regard to patientselection methodology and statistics, including endpoints,” Dr. Haller said. “We felt that phase III trials have the greatest potential for affecting practice.”
